This month we travel coast to coast to introduce you to people working on the front lines of septic system maintenance and inspection … with an emphasis on stellar consumer education. These folks know that when pumping contractors and government regulators care enough to explain how septic systems work, everybody wins.
An educated homeowner is more apt to recognize and repair a failing system. And that results in a cleaner environment and sustainable quality water supply. Trouble-free septic systems encourage greater acceptance of the private onsite model as a permanent alternative to municipal sewer systems. They also help build on the professional reputation of pumping contractors as qualified septic system maintainers.
SHOWING WE CARE
Pumping contractor David Litchfield of The Christopher Bryant Co., Simsbury, Conn., builds his family company in good and bad economic times through a people-pleasing model he calls “customer focus, concierge service.’’ In this month’s cover story (“Shuffle the Deck”), Litchfield tells writer Seiche Sanders that it’s important to allow customers to connect with a knowledgeable, caring person when they call the office or meet a technician in the field.
“I think seeing people is an important thing,” says Litchfield, whose website shows photos of the technicians who will meet customers in the field. “It’s comforting to see the face of someone – and you won’t be afraid of them being in your back yard.”
And after the job is completed, Christopher Bryant asks its customers to grade the service and ask questions through comment cards that receive an impressive 75 percent response rate.
“It subtly sends a message to customers that we care enough to ask how we’re doing. We’ve used those comments to make improvements,” Litchfield says.
DIFFERENT KIND OF SOCIAL NETWORKING
Surrounding Washington State’s beautiful Puget Sound, the environmental stakes are high if a septic system fails. Polluted water seeping into a fragile ecosystem already challenged by large population centers threatens a large shellfish farming industry. That’s where Teri King steps in and offers to conduct Septic Socials and other educational programs meant to protect the region.
In our Pumper Interview feature this month (“Make Customer Education a Party”), King, a Sea Grant water quality specialist, shares her unique recipe for educating homeowners about how their septic systems work. As she tells writer Doug Day, the neighborhood gatherings generate a lot of interest when a participating pumping contractor flips the tank lid.
“They have no idea that a healthy system doesn’t smell bad. When we pop the lid off of the tank, most are amazed that the odor is no worse than teenage sweat socks. It’s a real eye opener for them,’’ King explains. “We talk about scum and sludge, things that float and things that sink in a tank, and how to do your own observations. We ask them to … walk around the drainfield and the yard, smell and look so they know what’s normal, and look for ponding and other evidence of trouble.’’
HOW DO YOU EDUCATE CUSTOMERS?
Would the concept of septic socials work in your service area? Do you have another customer education initiative to share with fellow pumping professionals? Drop me a line and tell me about it at editor@pumper.com.
